A playlist called “New Playlist 3” or “gym stuff old” is hard to find a month later, and the fix only takes a few seconds. In the Spotify app on iPhone, go to Your Library, open a playlist you made, and look for Edit (on the playlist page, or in the three-dot menu, where some app versions call it Edit playlist). Tap the name, type a new one, and tap Save. The same works on the desktop app and the web player.
Rename a playlist in the Spotify iPhone app
You need the Spotify app signed in to the account that created the playlist. Spotify’s support pages describe the Edit screen for playlists but do not spell out the rename step itself, so the labels below can look slightly different depending on your app version.
- Open Spotify and tap Your Library at the bottom of the screen.
- Tap the playlist you want to rename. If your library is long, scroll or use the filters at the top of Your Library to find it.
- Look near the top of the playlist for an Edit button. If you do not see one, tap the three dots (the more menu) near the top of the playlist instead.
- Tap Edit (or Edit playlist if that is what the menu shows). The playlist opens in edit mode.
The picture above is an older, generic playlist screen; the current Spotify screens look different, but the idea is the same: find Edit, then change the name.
- Tap the current playlist name at the top of the edit screen. The keyboard opens.
- Delete the old name and type the new one.
- Tap Save (top right). The playlist page now shows the new title.
To confirm the change, go back to Your Library. The playlist is listed under its new name, and it sorts in a new spot if your library is set to sort alphabetically. Renaming changes only the title; the songs and their order stay as they were.
Changed your mind? Repeat the same steps and type the old name back in, so it helps to note the old title before you change it.
What the edit screen also lets you change
The screen where you rename a playlist is the same screen Spotify uses for other playlist details, so it is worth knowing what else lives there before you tap Save.
| What you want to change | What to do on the edit screen | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Tap the title and type | Save to keep it |
| Description | Tap the description area under the title | Optional text under the name |
| Cover image | Tap Change cover image, choose an image, then tap Save (or tap Change playlist cover > Create cover art to design one in the app) | Documented by Spotify |
| Remove songs | Tap the minus next to a track | Documented by Spotify |
| Song order | Tap, hold and drag a track | Premium only on mobile, per Spotify |
For a closer look at deleting tracks, see how to take a song off a Spotify playlist. Spotify’s own create and edit playlists help page covers editing tracks, and its playlist cover article covers the photo step.
Rename a playlist on the desktop app or web player
If you are at a computer, it is often quicker to rename there, and the new name appears on your iPhone the next time the app refreshes. The desktop app and the web player (open.spotify.com in a browser) work the same way.
- Click Your Library in the left sidebar and open the playlist.
- Click the three dots under the playlist title and choose Edit details. Clicking the playlist title itself usually opens the same box.
- Click the name field, type the new name, and click Save.
Spotify’s desktop help describes this box only as the place to “edit the name and other details” when you create a playlist, so treat “Edit details” as the usual label rather than a guaranteed one. The same box usually holds the description too, and Spotify documents that clicking the image on a playlist you created lets you choose a new cover photo and click Save.
Playlists you cannot rename
If there is no Edit option, or the name field will not take a tap, the playlist is probably one of these:
- Someone else’s playlist that you follow. Spotify’s edit steps are for playlists you created, so a playlist you only follow does not show Edit. To get a copy you control, create a new playlist and add the songs to it with Add to Playlist, then name it whatever you like.
- A playlist Spotify makes for you, such as Discover Weekly, Release Radar or an editorial playlist. These are generated by Spotify and generally do not offer a rename option. Save the songs you like into your own playlist instead.
- Liked Songs. This is a built-in collection rather than a regular playlist, and it does not appear to have an editable name.
- A collaborative playlist someone else owns. Spotify says collaborators can add, remove and reorder tracks. It does not say collaborators can rename the playlist, so if Edit is missing, ask the owner to change the name.
Playlist folders are a separate case. Spotify documents creating folders and moving playlists into them, but not renaming them, so the option may or may not be present in your version of the app. If you need a different folder name and cannot find a rename option, you can create a new folder with the right name and move the playlists into it.
If the new name does not show up
Spotify saves the change to your account, so it should follow you to every device. When it does not, work through these checks in order:
- Make sure Save was tapped. Backing out of the edit screen without saving discards the new name.
- Check your connection. If the iPhone was offline (or Offline mode was on), the rename may not reach Spotify until you reconnect.
- Check the account. If the computer shows the old name, it may be signed in to a different Spotify account. Steps for signing out of Spotify and back in help you confirm which account is in use.
- Update the app. Open the App Store, tap your profile picture and update Spotify if an update is listed. An older app version may also explain why your menus do not match the steps above.
- Close and reopen the app. This forces Spotify to load your library again.
Spotify playlist questions
Does renaming change the playlist’s share link?
The link is tied to the playlist rather than its name, so links you have already shared generally keep working after a rename. Spotify does not state this on its help pages, so if someone reports a problem, share the link again from the playlist’s share option.
Is there a limit on name length or emoji?
Spotify does not publish a character limit for playlist names. Emoji can be typed with the iPhone keyboard like any other character. Shorter names are easier to read in Your Library, CarPlay and on smaller screens, where long titles get cut off.
Will people who follow my playlist be told about the new name?
Spotify does not document a notice for renames. The new name simply appears for them once their app refreshes. If the playlist is public, the new title is what people see when they search for it or open your profile. To control who can find it, see how to make a Spotify playlist public on iPhone.
Once your playlists have clear names, a few other Spotify settings on iPhone are worth a look: you can turn off or customize Spotify notifications, change the Spotify volume level to suit your headphones, and turn off Autoplay so music stops when a playlist ends.
Kermit Matthews runs Live2Tech from just outside Philadelphia. He is an IT specialist with over 20 years of experience, from a university help desk to small-business IT, IT management and his own consulting practice, and has written tech guides full time since 2020. Steps are checked against the current software on a real device or the maker’s official documentation. More about Kermit.